Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Home from the Road: A Tuesday Mystery Photo...

I am back home from a delightful field studies class with fifteen excellent students, having spent four days exploring the eastern Sierra Nevada, the Owens Valley and the White Mountains. It was strange to be so out of touch with cyber-space, but it was also so nice to be away from the normal craziness of school!

Here are two shots from different angles of one of my new discoveries. A brownie point for explaining the origin of these rocks, and a few more for figuring out where they are, and the geological processes that have directly altered the outcrop.

It's not that mysterious. If you think you know where it is, you are probably right!

I agree with all above, columnar basalt in Devils Postpile of hwy 395, near Mammoth. I've never seen these angles/exposures before, they look great. I'll have to do some off-trail hiking next time I'm in the area.

About Me

I am a teacher of geology at Modesto Junior College and former president of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, Far Western Section. I have led field trips all over the western United States, and a few excursions overseas, but my homebase is the Sierra Nevada, the Great Valley, and the Coast Ranges of California.